Silicon Valley voters this November will cast ballots in one of the region’s most consequential elections: From deciding who to send to Washington to a historic county supervisorial election, there is no shortage of major decisions up and down the ballot.
Santa Clara County has given less than half its vaccines, blames skeptical health care workers
Santa Clara County has used less than half of the COVID-19 vaccines it’s received. The county has vaccinated more than 47,000 people after receiving 110,000 vaccines so far, said County COVID-19 Testing Officer Marty Fenstersheib. At least 122,950 Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been allotted for the county, according to its website. The 47,000 people...
Officials won’t say how many COVID-19 vaccines have been given in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County health officials won’t say how many vaccines have been administered so far in the county, despite repeated attempts by this news organization to obtain that information. County health officials are pointing to the state for that data. The state is pointing right back at the county. And the public is robbed of...
How COVID-19 is straining Santa Clara County’s 911 system
The rise in COVID-19 cases isn’t just straining hospitals — it’s also taking a toll on the county’s 911 system. Santa Clara County officials on Wednesday shared a sobering picture of Silicon Valley’s ambulance system crumbling under the pressures of the pandemic. “Our health care system is inundated with patients. This also includes our 911...
As COVID-19 cases surge, San Jose extends paid sick leave protections
As COVID-19 cases shatter records in Silicon Valley and hospital capacity dwindles, San Jose lawmakers took steps to ensure essential workers receive paid sick leave until June. In the absence of federal COVID-19 paid sick leave protections, the San Jose City Council unanimously voted Jan. 5 to is extend local sick leave benefits until mid 2021. Under...
Santa Clara County considers penalties for inequitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Santa Clara County officials are publicly worrying whether area health care providers will stick to the guidelines when it comes to distributing COVID-19 vaccines, and deliberating what the county could and should do if they don’t. Already, in at least two cases so far, private health care providers in California — including one in the...
New COVID-19 relief fund dedicated to East San Jose businesses
East San Jose businesses and nonprofits struggling to survive may have gained a new lease on life through a new community COVID-19 relief fund. San Jose Planning Commissioner Rolando Bonilla said the East San Jose business community, which has experienced difficulty accessing government aid, was left out of conversations about solutions to help them weather...
Study: Silicon Valley is mostly working from home — and service industry is paying the price
In non-pandemic times, Voyager Cafe in downtown San Jose would be teeming with customers, often workers lined up looking to get their morning coffee or something to go with their lunch. Not anymore. Revenue is down 40% to 50%, according to co-owner Sameer Shah. Voyager’s location inside the San Pedro Square Market means it’s walking...
Businesses must close employee break areas in Santa Clara County under COVID-19 restrictions
Santa Clara County health officials kicked off 2021 by adding new restrictions on businesses — they must now close their employee breakrooms. While officials told San José Spotlight they had issued previous “guidance” on breakrooms, an earlier version of the county’s directive did not include any language about closing indoor employee breakrooms. There are new...
Santa Clara County receives nearly 100k COVID-19 vaccines, warns against New Year’s Eve parties
In urging people to stay home on New Year’s Eve, health officials shared a grim fact: There are only 28 available intensive care unit beds in all of Santa Clara County. And while the county has received nearly 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, infection rates continue to surge. The case rate is at 50 COVID-19...
Which Santa Clara County COVID-19 vaccine tier are you in?
The approval of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States is no immediate cure for the pandemic. With Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in short supply, only a select group of people can receive the immunization — at least for now. In Santa Clara County, that means health officials must administer vaccines to people in distinct tier groups...